Kenmore receives $5.2 million for SR 522 improvements

The City of Kenmore will receive the largest grant from the Washington State Transportation Improvement Board for the current cycle at $5.2 million. The announcement came Nov. 15-16 in Bellingham during the TIB’s 2012 meeting. The state agency will give $104 million to 168 different transportation projects in Washington state.

By Matt Phelps • November 19, 2012 4:57 pm
The City of Kenmore will receive a grant of $5.2 million to help renovate the west end of SR 522 including this intersection at 61st Ave. N.E.
The City of Kenmore will receive a grant of $5.2 million to help renovate the west end of SR 522 including this intersection at 61st Ave. N.E.

The City of Kenmore will receive the largest grant from the Washington State Transportation Improvement Board for the current cycle at $5.2 million. The announcement came Nov. 15-16 in Bellingham during the TIB’s 2012 meeting. The state agency will give $104 million to 168 different transportation projects in Washington state.

“This is no small thing,” said Kenmore City Manager Rob Karlinsey. “This $5.2 million will be combined with about $6 million of other grants and local money we’ve secured to complete the ‘west A’ segment of SR 522.”

The city also received a $178,000 grant for sidewalks on 68th Avenue from N.E. 182nd St. to N.E. 185th St.

The final segment of SR 522 is “west B,” which runs from 61st Ave. N.E. to the Lake Forrest Park city border.

The west A segment of State Route 522 runs from 60th Ave. N.E. to 65th Ave. N.E.

Some of the planned improvements to the segment include widening SR 522 from west of 61st Ave. N.E. (Cat’s Whiskers Road) to 65th Ave. N.E., widening 61st Ave. N.E. from N.E. 181st St. to N.E. 175th St., adding lanes at the intersection of 61st Ave. N.E. and SR 522 to increase capacity, converting to underground utilities and adding new sidewalks, street lighting, landscaping, medians and traffic signals.

The next closest individual project grants were given to the cities of Kent, Seattle and Tukwila. Seattle received the most overall grant funding from the TIB at $5.4 million.

Construction work on SR 522 along the east and central segment has already been completed. East segment improvements were performed on SR 522 from 73rd Ave. N.E. to 83rd Place N.E. Those projects included extending business access and transit lanes from 73rd Ave. N.E. to the eastern city limits, replacing the bridge over Swamp Creek, installing new traffic signals at 77th Court N.E. (Kenmore Square) and 83rd Place N.E. and installing new sidewalks, medians, street lighting and landscaping. The city also constructed a new pedestrian underpass at 73rd Ave. N.E., providing a safe route for Burke-Gilman Trail users at the busy intersection.

The central segment runs from 65th Ave. N.E. to 73rd Ave. N.E. on SR 522. The city has completed the installation of a new traffic signal at 73rd Ave. N.E. and N.E. 181st St., realignment of the 68th Ave. N.E. and N.E. 181st St. intersection, traffic lane work on the south side of SR 522 at the intersection with 68th Ave. NE, adding dual westbound left turn lanes onto SR 522 and a northbound lane on 68th Ave. N.E., the realignment of the SR 522 and 65th Ave. N.E. intersection, along with adding new sidewalks, medians, street lighting and landscaping.